Review Summary: Still Swingin seven albums in..
Papa Roach.
The Connection.
It really goes without saying that when you think Papa Roach one song springs to mind, it's so obvious that I'm not even going to mention it because that was 13 odd years ago and we are all now much older and hopefully much wiser.
Regardless of your feelings towards Papa Roach we are taking about a band that have racked up 20 years in the business, have put out 7 studio albums and have sales around the 10 million mark.
With all that being said where is the quality of their music at today? Have they progressed musically? Have they established themselves as front runners in a struggling industry? have they impressed? will they survive 20 more years?
I personally have nothing but respect for Papa Roach's first major release 'Infest'. It holds many a happy memory for me. Being 18 years old when this album surfaced it was impossible to not take notice, it truly is an iconic album of the nu metal era and sold accordingly.
Many consider the album that followed 'Love, Hate, Tragedy' as a surprise change in direction. Gone were the rap laced vocals and catchy verses, what replaced was a more traditional rock delivery. They simplified their approach, songs like ' Code Of Energy' and 'M80' play straight through effortlessly.
By the time 'Getting Away With Murder' dropped no one was really knowing what to expect. What we got was a polished effort. An album carefully crafted to sound more mature, yeah..you can still sing along and connect with the songs but it felt like the attitude had drained from the band and they seemed happy enough to drop in to rock radio mainstream.
Rock radio mainstream is where they sat happily for the albums that followed, 'The Paramour Sessions' and 'Metamorphosis'. A small lineup change occurred on 'Metamorphosis with Tony Palermo replacing Dave Buckner behind the kit.
A note worth adding before I comment on 'The Connection' is on Jacoby Shaddix. Jacoby has a well documented issue with alcohol abuse brought it his career. The early days of Papa Roach especially suffered due to his substance abuse. He famously cleaned up his act around the 'Getting Away With Murder' sessions, dropped a lot of weight and was leading a clean and sober lifestyle.
It was documented that around the 2010/11 mark ha he was once again drinking and going through relationship issues. Maybe suffering through these issues inspired Jacoby and the band to wind the clocks back and re-connect with earlier inspirations musically, the result being the album I am here to review...'The Connection'.
When the first single dropped for 'The Connection' I was genuinely impressed. Straight away there was an energy to the track, it had me singing the chorus almost instantly. Being as impressed as I was with the first single I eagerly awaited the album to drop.
The day eventually arrived when I secured a copy of the album and I found myself nothing less than impressed. The first four tracks are the Papa Roach that I loved as an 18 year old, the energy is maintained from track to track, I was enjoying it.
The pace does eventually drop off when you arrive at 'Before I Die' but the quality of the music remains. Everything about this album sounds fresh for Papa Roach, they are playing and writing to a much higher standard than previous attempts. Yes there are some electronic elements scattered here and there but they marry up nicely with the overall flow of the album. It's an album they desperately needed to write and thank god that they did.
Whether you love them or hate them I recommend at least one play through. It's not going to change you as a person no, but maybe you will find yourself not hating yourself for it like you may have done listening to anything they put out from 2004 to 2010.
